For a while now I have been thinking about getting a tattoo. I know I know it is not a decision to be taken lightly. Tattoos are for life, not just for Christmas ya know. So where better to ask for the best advice but my readers?
I want a tattoo with meaning. I want to look at it everyday and remind myself of the hard times I have been through, how I am so much stronger now than I have ever been. I want it to give me strength. Here are some ideas of what I want...
I like the idea of hearts and flying birds, for me they signify love, freedom, hope and power.
So what do you think? Do you have any tattoos or would you get one?
The other day I randomly started chatting to a younger girl (18ish). She told me about her hopes to be a fashion designer. She spoke about the brands she loved, the colours, fabrics, her passion shone through immensly, practically bursting out of her veins. It was so refreshing. However, she then went on to tell me sadly all the reasons she wouldn't ever 'make it'. "It is so competitive", "I live all the way up in Scotland, it all happens down south", "I don't have all the money to invest", "there is always somebody better". As I sat and listened, I began to realise all these reasons were not actually her own, they had come from others. And in fact were making her quite sad.
We spoke for about an hour. I told her about my own experiences in fashion, in the end she promised to never give up and follow her dreams. I gave her my email address and said "email me when you've made it".
This conversation resonated so much with my own experiences. It is funny how the most random of meetings between people can mean so much.
I wondered how many of us give up on our dreams because of the thinking of others? So many
times people told me I couldn't. You can't make it as a model, you can't live in London, you
can't be successful on your own... instead of taking on these thoughts as my own, I used it as amunition to prove them wrong.
You see I belive we all have that small flame inside, call it passion, your dreams. What ever it is, it's there for a reason.
Ever since I was small I've had a passion for entrepreneurship, it fascinated me. I would make peppermint icing animals, selling them outside my house. I set up stalls in my lane selling old toys, persuaded my mum to take me to car boot sales. I would often save my lunch money up so that I could buy something I really wanted.
This passion branched in to the fashion industry and building my own business' through trial an error, mostly error. When modelling I would question the photographers, the stylists, the owners of the brands... how did their business' work, how did they start? I wanted to be around successful people. I watched my dad build his own businesses and saw his hard work and dedication. Whenever I found something I loved there was no stopping me.
You see I think part of the problem, when it comes to SUCCESS, is that we might look at somebody successful like Richard Branson or Steve Jobs and see their huge successes, essentially their results. What we don't see is the journey they took to get there. The ups and downs, the determination, set backs, knock backs and many many failures. Because when Richard Branson created Virgin, it didn't happen over night. It took time.
So what I want to share with you are these amazing quotes and 'success principles' shall we call them that inspire me everyday to NEVER GIVE UP ON MY DREAMS!!!!
So never ever ever give up on your dreams!!! They are there for a reason, and so are you :-)
Over the past few weeks I have started to notice something which I want to discuss. Over and over again I am hearing things like, oh I need to check with my husband first, my boyfriend doesn't like me in skinny jeans, I can't go there my husband wouldn't like it, I can't do that my husband says it is a bad idea and he says I don't have enough time, my boyfriend says I shouldn't wear pink lipstick.
Maybe this isn't anything new, it is just that I have started to notice it. Of course when you are in a relationship you share and discuss big decisions, taking each others feelings in to consideration. But in this instance I am referring to smaller/non life changing things... Do you really need approval over a pair of shoes?
It has left me wondering... are some of us women so concerned about pleasing our other halves that we are ok with loosing our own identities and opinions?
Maybe it is a lack of confidence? Is it that some don't trust our own choices and judgements? For me what I wear is my own decision, sure I would take advice now and again but I would never not buy something because a significant other told me not to... In fact I wouldn't even be with somebody who told me not to do something.
When I hear ladies say such things it makes me uneasy. Perhaps because I have been in that situation, where I allowed another's opinions to overcome my own... that is somewhere I will never EVER go again. Because guess what? It didn't make me happy, it might have made the other person happy but why would you want to be with somebody who is happy drowning you out?
I wish somebody had said to me, Ashly get some balls (excuse the pun)... What the F are you doing? I suppose I was young (well that's my excuse).
Because if something makes YOU happy that person should support you. Isn't that what relationships are about? Support and encouraging each other to grow?
So here is me saying to anybody who needs it... Get some balls! Make your own choices, live a little and no matter what, don't quieten your own inner voice!! It is there for a reason, so use it ;-) (that goes for men as well as women)
I will leave you with words from the amazing late great Nora Ephron...
I would love to hear your thoughts on this? Does this resonate with you or sound like somebody you know?
As some of you may know if you follow along with twitter, I am off to Las Vegas in 4 weeks woohoo!! With this in mind, I want to look my best at the pool (picture Beyonce's booty). Plus I have been thinking for a while that I want to do some exercise and tone up but I find it really difficult if I don't have something structured and a goal to reach. So I looked high and low for a workout dvd and found Gillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, it seemed to have the results that I was looking for.
So I am going to do it, 30 days of working out (with 1 or 2 days off per week). I figured if I can manage the 30 day detox I can manage this. The dvd is in 3 levels, with each level being a 20 minute work out session and you do each level for 10 days.
I have to say I am really excited about seeing the results and feeling great in my bikni :-)
How about a little peek in to my life? I post a lot of pictures on instagram (AshlyLondon) but here is some for those that aren't addicted to social media like myself!
#NOTD
I got myself a gel system for doing nails. For years I have spent an absurd amount getting gel polish done when I could have been doing it myself. The whole kit cost around £40 including polishes. Let me know if you'd like to know where I got everything from and how I do it.
Legs Eleven
With the weather getting ever so slightly warmer, kind of. I have whipped out the fake tan (Reviews here) and got my pins looking lovely and bronzed. May be a while before anybody actually sees them but oh well!
Shake it up
With a holiday/work trip to Vegas planned in 5 weeks I am doing my best to get in ship shape. This means lots of lovely yummy fruit smoothies. This one has frozen strawberries, banana, water and Vegan protein.
Donna Ida
After I left work at Donna Ida in Chelsea I had an incentive voucher still to spend so I popped online and picked out a few pairs of summer jeans. Current Elliott ankle skinny in Borough Destroy and Ida Ivy Skinny in Glaciar. Can't wait till they arrive, I hope they fit!!
#TBT
Throw back Thursday! This is me and my daddy, I think we look so similar here. I found this pic when I was going through some old stuff. It made me realise how happy and grateful I am for my family and that I get to see them everyday.
I literally had the best birthday this year. Not only did I have an amazing mad hatter tea party but it was a huge celebration because I've come so far in the past year, I am around my friends and family and have so much to celebrate.
Birthday Lunch and Dinner
On my actual birthday my dear friend and business partner Margaret took me for lunch to Banchory lodge. The lodge sits on the river dee and is a beautiful setting. It was very peaceful and relaxing.
I also went for dinner to pizza express with my sister, mum and nephew in the evening. It was really lovely to get to spend this precious day with them. The last time I spent a birthday in Aberdeen was my 21st! Every other year I've been in London, Los Angeles or somewhere else random but not with my family and friends. It meant so much to me to be here.
MaD HaTTerS tEa pArtY
I don't know What made me choose the theme of Alice in wonderland, it just came to me and I went with it. Everyone made a HUGE effort with their costumes and I was over the moon. The prize for best dressed went to my cousin who looked amazing in her home made Queen of Hearts costume.
We had a huge table filled with yummy treats like spinach and feta pie, pizza, honey and mustard sausages, sweet potato brownies (recipe coming soon) and a huge cake which literally took my sister and I 2 days to make!
I am am avid fan of the cake boss and thought I'd make my own topsy tuvfy cake. We'll let me tell you this is not as easy as it looks. Bloody Nora! It took me an hour to roll 1 bit of icing and even then it wasn't big enough. We ploughed through on the end and although it wasn't perfect I think we pulled it together, just!
A HUGE thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who helped celebrate my birthday with me. It meant the world to me and this decade is going to be the best yet!!!
But, I am very pleased to say my detox ended on the 4th February and here are my results Overall experience Detox, in particular caffeine and sugar withdrawl are not for the faint hearted. My head literally felt like there was a little army of men inside it with hammers. However, once the pounding headaches and wee trips every 45 minutes subsided around day 6-8, I really started to feel the benefit of not having those 2 devils in my life.
As time went on my enegy levels improved massively. The biggest thing for me was having a constant energy level throughout the day, rather than feeling like I could fall asleep by 3pm. This actually improved my confidence too, I knew I could book meetings for later in the day and that I would still be raring to go.
At no point did I feel hungry. And I never felt like I was depriving myself. I had a few remarks from people toward week 3 and 4 that I had lost weight and I could feel my jeans felt looser.
Results I didn't actually weigh myself before and after because I did not want this detox to be about loosing weight. However, I definitely lost weight, perhaps as much as a jean size. My stomach is flatter, my love handles are a lot smaller and over all I look a lot healther.
My skin is also a lot better, I literally have had no spots or any redness on my skin. Thumbs up there.
Verdict I absolutely loved how the detox left me feeling. It changed the way I think about certain foods. In particular white bread, sugarry treats muffins cakes etc and caffeine. It is now 3 weeks since I officially finished my detox and I still haven't had any caffeine. And you know what? I don't want it because I know how much better I feel without it. I have decided that this is now a way of life for me and I will be eating what ever I like at weekends but stick to the no added sugar, no white refined carbs during the week. I also realised something else HUGE. For years I had a very bad habbit of popping to costa or starbucks and grabbing a coffee and a muffin when I was hungry, instead of getting something healthy and nutritional. So when I couldn't have either of those things it foced me to get something else, like a salad and mint tea, that actually gave me energy. I never even realised what I was doing... feeding my hunger with a coffee? how bad it that! Tips
Choose a time to detox when you actually have a chance of succeeding. For example. if I had decided to do this over Christmas or when on holiday I just wouldn't have completed it and then felt bad about myself.
Get prepared. Have a plan and get healthy food supplies in ready.
Frozen blueberries and grapes were a lifesaver for me. A great snack.
Protein/smoothie shakes of some sort are a great meal replacement (I chose Arbonne vanilla and chocolate protein because it's vegan and has no nasties)
I am so much happier with my body now, I had put on a bit of weight and it is all gone now. I am also a lot more confident, weather it is because I am proud of myself for sticking to the detox for a whole 30 days or because I have more energy, I'm just really chuffed with myself.
Hi ladies and gents, today is a very different type of post for me. In fact I have never broached this subject before. The reason I am writing this post is because it is something that effects me daily and I think it can effect us all at different times in different ways.
After posting about my Detox, I found that not only did it really help me stick to it because I felt like if I didn't I would be letting you all down and I don't want to do that, I also got lots of messages saying how it inspired others to do the same and stick to theirs. So maybe if I write about this subject it will help in this area too!
You might be thinking ok what is she talking about, so I will get to it...
fear
fɪə/
noun
noun: fear; plural noun: fears
1.
an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.
The type of fear I am talking about is the one which holds you back from new opportunities and experiences, when you say no to attending a meet up because of the thought of so many new people you don't know, when you don't pick up the phone and make that call about a new job because well what if they say you're not what they are looking for?
For years I have had this fear living inside me never sure of what it was, I just knew that certain things scared me and made me feel vulnerable and unsafe. Often I would avoid these people or situations. Now I realise that this is a form of anxiety.
The reason I am writing this post is because I am sick and fed up of being contained by this fear, I have well and trully had enough!
The biggest part of it for me is worrying about what people will think, pre-empting what they will say and taking on those feelings inside myself. Even though half of the time I am actually wrong.
So with all this in mind I am christening this month of 2014 Feel the Fear and do it anyway February!!
My Plan of Action
1. Make every phone call I am 'thinking' about making
Throughout the day there are probably at least 5-10 calls I 'think' about making. Sadly that is as far as it has gone in the past, thinking. This in itself creates more fear, then anxiety because I haven't done what I was meant to. Then come the feelings of low self esteem. Oh golly what a visious circle!
I vow to my readers and myself that every time I 'think' about making a phone call I will act on it at that moment or put a specific time in my diary to do it. Once it is in the diary it HAS to be done, those are the rules people!
2. Ask for what I need
How often do you need help with something but instead of asking trudge on trying in vain to do it yourself, wouldn't it have been so much easier just to ask?
I vow to my readers and myself that when I need help with something or I need a number/email address of somebody I am trying to contact I will just ASK! (note to self: It really isn't that difficult)
3. Say/Write what I am thinking
Am I the only one that can over think that I am writing or going to say? "what if the other person thinks it is wrong or doesn't agree with me"? So what, I say to that...
I vow to my readers and myself that I will say and write what I am thinking. Starting with my new pinterest board called "F*** Fear in the Face"!!! We live in a world full of differences and opinions that is why we all have a mind of our own, otherwise we might as well be procreating robots!
4. Make fear a source of fascination.
I read that accepting your fear and becoming fascinated by it is a sure fire way to conquer it.
I vow to my readers and myself that I am going to find out everything I can about the source of my fear. Where does it come from? Why does it have so much power? Essentially I will become friends with it. Kind of like I did with my anxiety, I said "listen anxiety if you are going to be around for a while we might as well be friends"!
5. Celebrate my victories
I think it is really important to applaud yourself when you take a positive step. It gives you the determination to take another step, then another.
I vow to my readers and myself that I am going to become my own biggest cheerleader, applaud every step I take big or small. I will even treat myself to little prizes along the way! #loveyourselffirst
I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this. Does anyone else feel like this? Does Fear hold you back at all? Do you suffer from anxiety?
We all have those days when it feels like the wind and rain is constantly blowing in your face, wondering when the sun will start to shine. When I have a day like this it can be so difficult to remain positive. One thing that always cheers me up is some cute animal pictures, it makes me realise how amazing nature is and yo look outside of myself.
So with this in mind I thought I would share some of my favourite animal pictures....
My first dog was a labrador called Ben so this breed always has a special place in my heart :-)
There is something about babies and dogs together that makes me go awwww.
Dogs do the funniest of things
This is just incredible to see, an adorable but unlikely friendship.
Another unlikely friendship. This is Milo the 7 year old Daschund, he took Bonedigger the disabled Lion in to his protection as a cub. They have been the best of friends ever since. Bonedigger even lets Milo clean his teeth after a meal!
I thought it might be quite nice if I gave you an insight in to the things keeping me going and helping me to avoid the sweet treats, caffeine and bread.
1. Chocolate protein shakes - These are divine. I have one for lunch or breakfast depending on how I feel. If I really fancy a desert or I am craving some cookies after dinner I will treat myself to one of these, or even half will do the trick (1 scoop instead of 2)
2. Frozen Blueberries - These are literally saving my life!! I have at least one box in the freezer at all times. I put them in smoothies/protein shakes and I eat them as they are. The centre of the berry turns almost in to a sorbet like texture. I snack on these at least once a day.
3. Detox/Herbal Tea - I do not remember the last time I drank so much of this. The great thing is that you will never run out of flavours as there are so many. I am loving the Pukka Cleanse & Detox teas which I featured here . Plus you will end up drinking lots of water which is great!
4. Tomato sauces & whole grain Pasta - This is literally a life saver because you can pretty much add anything to the tomato sauces, onions, prawns, peppers, mushrooms. All good stuff and fills you up!
5. Walking the dog - Because I have been getting up earlier I am having more time in the mornings to walk my wee pooch. I grab a beaker of detox tea to keep me warm and go out for some fresh air. I walk about 10 minutes and it really gets me going and wakes me up in the morning. Plus seeing Poppi running around happy keeps me going :-)
What are your health/detox tips that keep you going?
It is day 15 and I can't believe I am only half way, feeling like I have been doing this darned detox forever! It isn't all bad though, I have some good news too :-)
Day 10 - Day 12
Side Effects: Still weeing more than usual. Could be all the herbal tea I am drinking!
Feeling: great!
Body changes: Definitely looking slimmer and my stomach is flatter
Sleep: Still not managing to get to bed early :-(
Cheated? No! I am really enjoying how I am feeling so I don't want to. (still got problems with mobile phone management though!!)
Day 12 - Day 14
Side Effects: None
Feeling: Fantastic! Really energetic and great, can't quite believe the change!
Body changes: Lost a lot of bloating (realised how much bread I was eating before :-o)
Sleep: Feeling so proud of myself been going to bed before midnight and falling asleep within 15 mins!!!Seriously can not remember the last time that happened.
Cheated? Finding that I am happy to leave phone alone before bed because I have got so much more done through the day with my energy levels being a lot better
Day 15
Side Effects: Couldn't sleep last night. Brain was fairly active not 'buzzing' like I usually would be though
Feeling: The amount of energy and excitement I have each day is the best it has been for such a long time. At least a year.Feeling so much happier that I am getting up earlier and getting more done throughout the day. Finding I don't really want to lounge about on the Sofa in the morning or afternoon.
Body changes: Stomach flatter. Thighs definitely slimmer, more room in jeans.
Cheated? Not with food. Was on phone for 10 mins last night when I got in to bed so maybe that was why I couldn't sleep :-( Or perhaps it was that Ross Kemp documentary that was giving me nightmares!!!
As you can probably see things have really improved for me. I can't quite believe how different I feel after 15 days of no caffeine and sugar. Don't get me wrong I am missing my Latte's like nobody's business but I am wondering if I will go back to drinking them now or will I find an alternative? The thing is I am loving my regulated energy levels throughout the day. I use to be so up and down feeling like I am superwoman one minute and sleepy Sue the next.
Another bonus is that my skin is looking better, less blemishes and no sore under the surface spots so far so good!!
Wildfox Skeleton Earings*
I am excited to see what happens over the next 15 days!! Is anyone else on a detox at the moment or have you tried one before, let me know!!?
Hi all, a couple of days a go I told you I was going to embark on a little (or not so little) Detox.
And I start TODAY! To be honest I am actually really excited, who isn't fed up of all the chocolate and massive amount of food we all consume over the Christmas period?
I will list all the details below in case you want to join in or use it in the future. You will see that I am not doing a hugely strict juice diet or a maple syrup starve, I just think for me those type of things are too extreme and I am not doing this to loose weight. It is more of a challenge for me and to get in to better habits choosing healthier options and getting fitter.
Do: Eat little and often, don't skip breakfast, slow down eating, exercise, rest well, stay motivated.
Example daily meals
Breakfast:
1 chocolate or vanilla Protein shake with added fibre or a shake recipe, herbal tea, piece of fruit
Mid morning:
healthy snack (handful mixed nuts and seeds or berries with natural yoghurt)
Lunch:
soup or salad with lean protein like salmon and whole grains such as brown rice.
Mid afternoon:
healthy snack
Evening:
a well balanced healthy meal like stir fry with chicken. Healthy desert like fruit or homemade recipe (to come in future posts)
Exercise: I'm going to pop along to the dance centre tomorrow and sign up for weekly ballet and Zumba classes.
Aims: be in bed by 11pm at night with technology away, read for 30 minutes. Up before 10am and no snooze button!!! I will also be doing 15 minutes of yoga everyday which I do off and on at the moment.
Join in with the hashtag #not1stjandetox
I would love to hear if anyone else is doing a detox or January health plan??
Please note: I am not a nutritionist or doctor, I am sharing what I will be doing for educational purposes. Please seek your own advice before embarking on any new diet or detox. plan taken from Arbonne 30 days to fit.
I love making wishlists and browsing through shops online making purchases in my mind :-) there are definitely more than a few things I have my eye on this year and I am determined to get them. I am not a fan of having things to excess or showing off with what you have or can afford but I do believe that if you really want something and work hard for it then it becomes a reward!
Looks like I will be working extra hard :-)
1. A new flat that I can invite all my friends round to and have fun work and blogger parties
2. Soft box lights to get my photography and YouTube looking smashing | £52.99
I am so excited to be in a new year! Wahoooo.. goodbye 2013 hello 2014!! To start the year of with a bang I have decided to challenge myself to a detox. OMG I tell you this is not going to be easy for me because 1. I love coffee, sugar, cakes and 2. I hate exercise, the mere thought of it fills me with dread. But for 30 days I am going to whip myself in to shape. Why you may ask? I asked myself the same thing. The answer is because I feel like my body could do with a good cleanse.. I am after all nearing 30 and need to start taking better care of it and also because I really want to challenge myself and get in to new good habits. So there we are. I would love to hear if any of you are doing one?
My Goals
1. Do more exercise (3 times per week, although once a week technically would be more than I do now)
2. Join a new exercise class
2. Go to bed at a reasonable hour (11pm)
3. Read for 20 minutes before sleep
4. No technology after 11pm (urgh this is a hard one)
5. No Caffeine
6. Healthy food choices
So as you can see I am not on a majorly strict kick ass detox, nor am I trying to loose weight. Maybe tone up a but but it is more about making better choices.
I have ordered some food and drink supplies so will probably start on the 6th January but I will update when I have an exact date and go in to more details on my meal plans etc.
I am actually really excited, although quite nervous.
Wow what a year it has been. The toughest of my life bar none! This time last year I was so unhappy and in an awful place. I actually feel sick when I think about it so I'm going to choose to focus on how far I've come, the friends I've made, the new Adventures I've started. And the fact that I've made it this far. :-)
The bad times have been and gone and now the sun is shining again. Slowly but surely it came out from behind the clouds. Helped by all the treasured times with family and new friends. Here are just some of those amazing memories.
Spending fun time with family. Me and my sis at a car boot sale, we met so many 'interesting' people. She bought a china tea set for £5, I nearly sold a real gold necklace for £1 oops!
Getting to watch my nephew grow. I lived with him for 9 months and it was the best time. Even the 6am wake up calls with him knocking on my door shouting 'Ashhh'. I loved every minute. He is the light of my life (ahh feeling so emosh)
Making new friends. This is the beautiful Laura from liparazziblog.com although we've known each other less than a year I feel like we've been friends all my life. She is such a lovely lass and now by BFF :-)
When I moved back to Aberdeen I really didn't know what I was going to do with myself. When I was presented with an opportunity to have my own skincare business, Although it wasn't something originally I saw myself doing I thought I'm going to go for it and jumped in. I've met so many fantastic, inspirational, successful and strong women who I get to work with and honestly I couldn't be happier. I'm so proud of myself for putting my fear aside and just going for it and I'm so excited to see how far it takes me in 2014!
Me training a room full of people. Many who had been in the business months and months longer than me. Wow I wouldn't have believed I could do this at the beginning of the year.
And lastly and very importantly, I am so grateful to my mum for being such an amazing women and support without her I don't know where I would be. She is so special and I can't wait to repay her for everything she has done for me (love you mum) soppy I know :-)
A huge thanks to all of you for following, reading and commenting on my posts. I never thought when I started my blog if have one follower let alone all the rest. I love sharing with you all and hearing your thoughts and ideas. Thank you all
I wish everyone a fantastic New Yeae and I can not wait to start 2014. There is so much to look forward to.
